Festival Ballet pair grow up to dance Peter Pan’ at The Vets

Talk about leaps. Dancers from Festival Ballet Providence will be flying all over the stage of Veterans Memorial Auditorium this weekend, when they wrap up the season with “Peter Pan.”

Channing Gray Special to The Journal Channing_Gray

Talk about leaps. Dancers from Festival Ballet Providence will be flying all over the stage of Veterans Memorial Auditorium this weekend, when they wrap up the season with “Peter Pan.”

The two-plus-hour ballet, the work of Canadian choreographer Jorden Morris from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, is a perfect fit for Festival, said artistic director Misha Djuric. The other setting he is familiar with has too many characters.

But Morris’ 2006 version, a neo-classical story ballet, is “very fresh, with a new look that isn’t boring,” said Djuric, adding that there are moving sections that will “bring you to tears.”

This weekend’s three performances mark the New England premiere of the ballet, which was recently staged to great success by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. And it’s got a little something for everyone — pirates, sword fights, Nana the dog and a crocodile, said Djuric.

Also, four of the leads will be flying about the stage on rigging, he said, making the performance one of Festival Ballet’s more ambitious undertakings ever.

He said the company has spent two full days just rehearsing the flying scenes.

“Families can see it very safely,” said Djuric, “but it’s for everyone. You don’t have to have kids.”

Djuric was also excited to report that the dancers portraying Peter and Wendy worked their way up through the ranks and are starring in lead roles for the first time in their young careers. Kirsten Evans, who’s dancing the role of Wendy, joined the ballet school when she was 9, he said, and progressed to an apprentice before becoming a company member last season.

The same is true of Ian Matysiak, the show’s Peter.

“We’re very proud of them,” he said.

Morris, whom Djuric called a star on the rise, spent part of January with the company working on the show, and he has been in town all this week for rehearsals.

The scenery, with starry skies and misty forests, is being rented from the Royal Winnipeg, where Morris is resident choreographer. The score for the show has been assembled from music that was popular at the time the play and novel by J.M. Barrie first appeared, around the turn of the last century.

“When all the components come together,” said Djuric, “including the flying, it will be wow.”

Performances of Festival Ballet’s “Peter Pan” take place Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $23-$85. Call (401) 421-2787, or visit thevetsri.com.